ihij Olarkner's JtoutWa. 



37 



the main stem below the surface. These never 

 flower well, and should be cut out, as they weaken 

 the plant. When struck as cuttings, I have ob- 

 served these shoots are more apt to sport than side 

 branches. 



[TO BE CONTINUED,] 



GRAFTING THE GRAPE. 



BY DR. J. STAYMAN, LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS. 



According to promise, and at the request of some, 

 we shall endeavor to give the readers of your valu- 

 able Monthly a concise system, a definite jDoriod and 

 an expedient and successful method of grafting the 

 Grrape, adapted to any location, and not dependant 

 upon some imaginary contingency. 



Grrafting the Grape is considered as an exception 

 to the general rule, and cannot be successfully ac- 

 complished ; for it is supposed there is some diffi- 

 culty which cannot be overcome, or some mystery 

 that cannot be unravelled. Even some have gone 

 so far as to say that the conditions of success at one 

 place would fail at another ; making the whole a 

 matter of location or some ethereal speculation. — 

 Others have rode the hobby of the want of conge- 

 niality between the stock and graft, to soothe us in 

 our misfortunes, and lull us into indifference, even 

 should we succeed. No wonder we have lost so 

 much interest in the subject because of the many 

 speculation advanced, the numerous methods, and 

 various reasons recommended, and the general fail- 

 ure attending grafting. 



There may appear to be some plausibility in the 

 theories, but in practice they are nearly evanescent. 



We once gave up in despair of ever grafting a 

 Grape from our own experience as well as from the 

 testimony of others, and the more we investigated 

 the subject the more vague, uncertain and difficult it 

 became ; for we could neither see or give any satis- 

 factory reason why the few succeeded and the ma- 

 jority failed, — both equally skilled in talent and 

 workmanship. 



At last, the spell became broken, — the clouds dis- 

 appeared, — and we realized the fact by experiments 

 on numerous stocks and varieties that we had been 

 taught a false philosophy and practice. 



Why this subject should have remained wrapped 

 in mystery so long appears remarkably strange when 

 we take into consideration its certainty, ease and 

 simplicity. We cannot dismiss this subject without 

 expressing our gratitude and obligations to the 

 Gardener's Monthly for valuable contributions, and 

 to our friend Samnel Miller, of Avon, Pa., tor his 

 article and correspondence which led us to such de- 



finite and successful results. We hope this article 

 may be instrumental in stimulating others to new 

 energy and similar results ; for we know from sad 

 experience how to sympathize with those in their 

 misfortunes. 



With these lengthy preliminary remarks we shall 

 now close, and endeavor to fulfil our promise : — 



Tn the first place cut your scions in the Fall after 

 the frost has killed the leaves and before very hard 

 freezing, well matured wood, with as little pith as pos- 

 sible, (we generally prefer small, short-jointed wood); 

 pack them in damp moss, earth or saw-dust, and 

 keep them in a cellar, or away from frost during 

 winter, and of easy access when needed. For con- 

 venience of packing away they may be cut in lengths 

 of about a foot and tied in small bundles. 



Prepare yourself with a short shoemaker's knife 

 to split the stocks, a sharp pen-knife to cut and 

 wedge the scions ; a small iron wedge, about one- 

 fourth of an inch wide, and strong enough to open 

 the stocks; and for extra emergency, a strong-pointed 

 pen-knife, to use, instead of the wedge, on small 

 stocks, a wooden mallet to drive the knife and wedge 

 if necessary, and a fine saw to cut off the vines. 



The exact time to commence grafting is rather in- 

 definite, but the most expedient and successful pe- 

 riod is definite, namely, — from the time the frost 

 leaves the ground in the spring until the vines com- 

 mence to bleed, (February, March, or April, de- 

 pending upon season and location). 



To succeed well, they should be strong stocks at 

 least two years old ; and as early in the spring after 

 the frost has left the ground and it has become set- 

 tled, take the earth away from around the stocks 

 about four inches deep ; cut them off at a smooth 

 place suitable for grafting about two or three inches 

 below the original surface of the ground, (the earth 

 mark on the stock will show exactly the depth which 

 should be kept in view so as to know the length to 

 cut the scion.) 



They should be grafted as fast as cut off, and not 

 exposed to the air or sun but a short time ; but 

 should they happen to be cut and not grafted they 

 should be covered up with moist earth until ready 

 to graft. 



Cut the top of the stock smooth, and takeoff the 

 hark at least as low down as the graft is inserted. 

 Split, or rather cut it, by placing the knife on the 

 side obliquely and strike the knife gently with the 

 mallet until you split the stock deep and low enough 

 to insert the graft. Be careful so as not to split it 

 through on the opposite side. Then place the iron 

 wedge or strong pen knife on the top, (as near the 

 split side as you can, so as to allow room for the 



